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submitted 1 week ago by Maerman@lemmy.world to c/opensource@lemmy.ml

So I just read Bill Gates' 1976 Open Letter To Hobbyists, in which he whines about not making more money from his software. You know, instead of being proud of making software that people wanted to use. And then the bastard went on and made proprietary licences for software the industry standard, holding back innovation and freedom for decades. What a douche canoe.

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[-] Jankatarch@lemmy.world 7 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

He is literally in the Epstein List no?

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[-] cassandrafatigue@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

More of a total goatse of a man, an impressive gaping emptiness that consumes and gets ass all over everything while making us all look at it.

Except the wedding ring. He's too much of a pedophile to keep one of those.

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[-] petersr@lemmy.world 7 points 1 week ago

I read his memoir "Source Code". He has had a fascinating life and I still don't understand how such a geeky person turns into cold blooded business as he does. There are still a lot of other billionaire I would shit on before Gates and I really respect his pledge to give away his wealth and his work with charity, but yeah well, I guess he has pretty awful sides still.

[-] insaneinthemembrane@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago* (last edited 10 minutes ago)

What makes you think a geeky person isn't cold blooded?

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[-] Iambus@lemmy.world 7 points 1 week ago

The most lemmy take ever

[-] PhAzE@lemmy.ca 6 points 1 week ago

He's totally fine... when he has his billions and complete unlimited financial safety, and never has to have a worry about spending ever again. Take all that away and his monster comes back out.

J/k, once corrupted, always corrupted.

[-] tengkuizdihar@programming.dev 6 points 1 week ago

from the letter

What hobbyist can put 3-man years into programming, finding all bugs, documenting his product and distribute for free?

Im all for giving fair or even plentiful compensation to developers who made our softwares. But, how times and hindsight made this passage sounds like, "wait you guys got paid?"

[-] Engywuck@lemmy.zip 4 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)
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this post was submitted on 28 Nov 2025
780 points (100.0% liked)

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